EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Kylian Mbappé is now the owner of World Cup Golden Boots.
The French striker became the first player to finish as the leading scorer at multiple World Cups, winning his second Golden Boot award when Lionel Messi was blanked in Argentina’s 1-0 loss to Spain on Sunday in the final.
Mbappé totaled 10 goals and four assists for a France team that finished fourth. Messi ended up with eight goals and four assists after going without
a goal or an assist for the first time in his last 12 World Cup games.
Messi was still hoping to win a record-extending third Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player. He’s already the only player to win the award multiple times since it was first given in 1978, and sparking Argentina’s run to a second straight final at age 39 gives him a strong case for another.
The Golden Boot is one of the few things Messi has never won in his storied career, but he went into the final weekend with the lead. Both Messi and Mbappé had eight goals through the semifinals, but Messi owned the tiebreaker with one more assist.
Mbappé then scored two goals and had an assist Saturday in France’s 6-4 loss to England in the third-place game, making him the first player with 10 goals in a World Cup since Germany great Gerd Müller had 10 in 1970.
The other awards to be presented Sunday for performances at the World Cup are the Golden Glove for the top goalkeeper, and the Best Young Player Award, given to the top player 21 years old or younger.
Spain is in good shape to win at least one if not both of those, with Unai Simón allowing only one goal in eight games and 19-year-old Lamine Yamal providing the dazzle up front and showing why he is already considered one of the most promising players in the world.
Mbappé also won the Golden Boot four years ago in Qatar, when France lost to Argentina in the final. This time, he could join players such as Italy’s Salvatore Schillaci in 1990, Croatia's Davor Suker in 1998 and Germany’s Thomas Müller in 2010 as players whose goals in a third-place game carried them to the Golden Boot.
The Golden Ball, Golden Glove and the Best Young Player Award are voted on by members of the media from a list of players compiled by the FIFA Technical Study Group.
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